The COREnet Experience at the EU4Advice Cross Living Labs Event in the Netherlands

At the beginning of July, Eva Jennings and Jan Willem Van Der Schans, representatives of COREnet, attended the EU4Advice Cross Living Lab event in the Netherlands. This event, organised by Amped, gathered experts from various European Living Labs to exchange knowledge and explore new opportunities for cooperation.

Jennings described the Cross Living Lab event as a “great opportunity to meet in person,” allowing her to connect with other professionals both as a representative of COREnet and as someone deeply involved in the Irish Living Lab. The event’s focus on practical activities—such as participatory workshops, group discussions, and exchanges of knowledge and experience—was especially valuable. Jennings noted that these sessions provided the Irish Living Lab with new insights into how they could further contribute to ongoing projects.

Jan Willem Van Der Schans, also from COREnet, participated in the cross Living Lab event with a specific aim: to gain a better understanding of the similarities and differences between COREnet and EU4Advice, particularly regarding the development of structures and course materials for professionalizing the short supply chain advisory function. Van der Schans highlighted that the exchange was enlightening for both teams. They learned from each other’s approaches: EU4Advice uses a deductive approach, starting from general principles and applying them to practice, while COREnet takes an inductive approach, beginning with best practice cases and identifying key examples (lighthouses) to show how lessons can be applied in different contexts. The collaborative effort to envision the expected outcomes together, rather than independently, was both stimulating and effective in focusing their efforts.

From COREnet’s perspective, the event also underscored potential areas for deeper collaboration with its twin project network.